Judge declines to dismiss Trump classified documents case

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon rejected attempts to dismiss more than half a dozen charges against former President Donald Trump Monday, related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Trump has been accused of mishandling classified documents that were stored at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, after he left the Oval Office. An FBI raid in August of 2022 seized roughly 100 documents that bared various classified markings. 

The defense sought to dismiss charges related to false statements and obstruction of justice. But Cannon claimed the defense's arguments did not warrant a dismissal of the charges. 

"The identified deficiencies, even if generating some arguable confusion, are either permitted by law, raise evidentiary challenges not appropriate for disposition at this juncture, and/or do not require dismissal even if technically deficient, so long as the jury is instructed appropriately and presented with adequate verdict forms as to each Defendants’ alleged conduct," Cannon wrote in the ruling, per the Associated Press. 

The judge did agree to strike out one paragraph from the indictment, which lawyers claimed were prejudicial and unnecessary to the underlying charges. The paragraph claimed that Trump showed a classified map of a foreign country to someone without clearance, while discussing a military operation.

Cannon has rejected other attempts in the past, including an argument that his actions were protected under the Presidential Records Act, according to Fox News.

The dismissal is just the latest in a string of hold ups for Trump's classified documents trial. The trial was supposed to begin on May 20, but Cannon has placed an indefinite hold on the trial to sort through other pretrial requests and disputes. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.